Charmed: Season 11
by thefanfictioner21
Summary: The sisters are back one last time, this time, against the darkness in our world. Prue looks for the answers she needs, Phoebe and Paige face the consequences of their previous actions, and Piper tries, one more time, to put her family first, but she must play an important role in saving everyone she loves. How will they face all this chalenges, especially when a new enemy arrives?
1. Chapter 1

Hello! Charmed is back for its eleventh, and sadly last, season! I have lots of plans for this season and I hope you'll like it. It will be probably darker, but will also have some funny moments. Anyway, it's good to be back and let me know if you think I can improve something in my story or writing.

The New Beginning

Prue walked into the manor with a baby in her arms; Andy was beside them. The baby girl opened her eyes and smiled at her parents.

-Isn't she the cutest thing ever? –Piper said meeting them at the door. –How is she doing?

-Oh, you know, she probably just wants her cradle; those hospital beds are not that good. –The older sister answered. –She seems so tired. –She looked at her baby, with love.

-I'm just glad she's ok now. –Piper added.

-Us too. –Andy said. –Why don't you catch up while I take little Charlotte upstairs? –Andy grabbed his daughter and left.

-It's been two weeks since we last talked. –Piper said with a sad smile. –How are you doing?

-I'm ok. I'm sorry we've been distant, it's just that with Lotty's heart condition…

- Congenital Heart Disease, right?

Prue nodded.

-It's been hard to focus on anything else, but she's getting better; the doctor said that she's most likely to heal on her own, without even needing surgery. We just needed to stay in the hospital to follow her situation.

-Those are great news. –Piper smiled. A tired smile.

-But what have you been doing? I've been in the hospital for what, four months…

-Not much. –Piper said. –The restaurant is doing great, Mel is going to school, demons attack now and then... –She added, remembering what had happened in the previous weeks:

*Flashback*

A demon made of electricity attacked the manor. Piper and Phoebe attacked it back, but he evaded.

-Careful! –Piper shouted as Phoebe almost got hit by a lightning.

Suddenly, another demon appeared and vanquished the first one, flaming away right after and leaving the sisters surprised.

…

Phoebe and Piper were talking to one of Billie's friends.

-So she's still missing? –The friend asked and the sisters nodded. –No sing of her?

-I'm sorry. –Piper said.

-But don't give up hope… -Phoebe added and Piper shot her a worried look.

…

Paige, Piper and Phoebe were running in the Underworld, being followed by demons shooting fireballs.

Piper turned around and blew some of them up, and Paige crushed others.

-There are too many of them! –Phoebe shouted.

Then, a huge demon appeared and vanquished the rest, attacking the sisters right after.

-Really? –Piper shouted.

Phoebe raised her hand and red sparks flew to the demon, knocking him down. Piper waved her hands and melted him.

-What was that? –Paige asked. –Since when do demons help us? Even though he attacked us right after…

-The Underworld is a chaos, there's no one to rule. –A voice said from the shadows. –Not since you vanquished the strongest demons.

-Who are you? –Phoebe asked, but didn't receive an answer.

*End of Flashback*

-Just the usual stuff. –Piper finished.

-I see. –Prue responded. –What about Phoebe and Paige?

-They're ok, just busy. Phoebe's writing another book, and Paith is doing great too; Paige is back at being a full whitelighter, she seems very happy.

-I'm glad everything is fine, then. I guess I'll go get some rest now. See you later. –She added with a tired look on her face. Piper stared at her leaving, with a concerned look.

Right after, Leo arrived.

-Don't be too hard on her. –He said. –She's been through much.

-I know, but I was worried too; she could have at least called, but she chose to keep us away. I just wanna know what's going on.

Leo put his arms around her and they stood there, in silence.

…

At Paige's place, she was awakened by the sound of a thunder. She got up and walked to the window, to close it, but when she turned around, someone grabbed her and covered her mouth. She tried to orb, but she couldn't.

-Let me go! –Paige shouted, but her voice wasn't loud enough.

The man who grabbed her put her on the floor and tied her. When she finally saw his face, she was shocked. It was the source's mangled face.

She panicked, but she couldn't even move her fingers now.

He stared at her, silently, but then his head started to spin very fast and when it stopped, it was Sigma's face.

-Did you really think you could get rid of me so easily? –He asked and then thrust his hand into Paige's chest; she felt like he was gonna rip her heart out. Paige coughed in pain, and when he was about to pull off his hand, she woke up sweating and with her heart beating fast. It was already morning and she was sitting in her bed.

-Oh god… -She sighed. –What the hell was that? –She sat on her bed.

-What? –Henry asked from the door.

-Hmm, nothing. –She said and then sighed again, but this time smiling. –Waking up with you here is one of the best feelings ever. I missed this so much.

-I know, I missed it too. –He said. –What were you dreaming about?

-Oh, nothing. It's over now, anyway.

-Ok. I have to go now, see you later. –He said kissing her.

-Love you. –She said as he left.

…

At Phoebe's loft, she was playing with baby Prue and Paith, when her phone rang.

-Hi Elise! Yes, my article is almost ready; I'll send it to you later after I add some details, don't worry. –She talked while walking around. She stopped by the window and was hit by a water bubble in the face. –Elise, I'll have to call you later. –She hung up, with water dripping from her hair and face.

She walked to the window and saw a woman standing on the sidewalk, waving at her.

-Coop. –Phoebe shouted. –Watch the girls for a while for me. –She said rushing to the door.

-Hi. –The blond woman wearing a long coat said. She had piercing brown eyes and a strange accent.

-Are you crazy? Who are you? And what did you throw at me?

-Oh, that was just water, silly; I needed to drag your attention. And my name is Camille, I'm a mermaid. –She said casually.

Phoebe looked around afraid someone had heard.

-How can you be a mermaid? You have legs! –She whispered and pulled her into a quieter space.

-I have this necklace. –She showed a pendant in her neck. –It gives me legs for some time, but it can only be used in urgent situations. –She talked about it very naturally, which intrigued Phoebe.

-And what's the urgent situation?

-Four months ago we saved a girl from drowning in the sea; she was in some sort of coma, until yesterday. She woke up and the first words she said were "Phoebe Halliwell". We knew she was taking about you, one of The Charmed Ones, so I was sent here! –Camille said excitedly.

Phoebe was silent for a while, remembering Billie's last moments; she hanging from the hole on the floor and then falling into the ocean.

-Is she blond, as tall as me and has green eyes? –She asked nervously.

-Exactly. You know her!

-Oh god, can you take me to her?

-Sure, follow me. –Camille seemed excited, she was different from Phoebe when she became a mermaid.

As Phoebe followed, she grabbed her phone and called Piper.

…

Paige and Henry were watching TV, when he accidently switched the channel:

"There were two women talking.

-After my husband went to war, he saw the men he had killed for months! He couldn't even sleep anymore. –One of them said.

-It happened to mine too; he had strange dreams and hallucinations. It felt more than just PTSD, so I did some research and found out that he was being haunted. It was the ghosts from the war…"

Henry switched the channel again.

-They definitely don't know how ghosts work. –He said laughing. –If only they knew what we know…

-But it's possible, isn't it? I mean, ghosts do haunt people. Maybe one of them is being haunted. –Paige stated.

-But you told me they can't control minds, create nightmares and stuff; that was surely just PTSD, I would know.

-You must be right. –Paige said remembering her dream; they had been happening a lot lately. She shook the thought away and kept watching the tv.

…

Piper, Phoebe and Camille met at a beach.

-Phoebe. –Piper called. –What are you talking about Billie?

-She's alive, the mermaids saved her!

-What? Are you sure? –Piper asked hesitantly. –I know you have problem accepting death sometimes, and you also lost…

-Don't say his name. –Phoebe asked. –And yes, I'm sure; all the pieces fit. –She said and Camille nodded.

-It's true. –Camille added.

-And why are you helping us? Mermaids are not _kind_. –Piper said to Camille.

-Not all of us are like that! I come from a different community; we protect the sea and it's creatures from you humans. We're not cold hearted like the _explorers_ and we have other powers as well.

-I see. Sorry. –Piper mumbled.

-It's ok. –She said quickly smiling again. –Oh, look, here they are! –She pointed at something in the sea.

A man appeared from the sea carrying Billie, who was inside some kind of magic bubble, fainted. When he reached the beach, his tail turned into two legs. He was wearing nothing but what looked like a green loin-cloth. They were followed by a brunette; when she came out, she was wearing a bikini top and a skirt.

-Billie! –Phoebe ran to her. –What happened? I thought she was awake.

-Right after Camille left, she fainted again and haven't waken up yet. –The man said.

-That's ok, we can take her to the manor to rest. –Phoebe said.

-No. –The man responded.

-What? –Piper exclaimed, raising a brow.

-Our magic is the only thing keeping her alive. –The brunette explained. –And besides, she's been with us for months and no one came to see her.

-We didn't know where she was! We looked everywhere. –Piper defended them.

-Not _everywhere_. –The man said. –Anyway, we just called you because that would have been the girl's wish; she'll stay with us until she gets better. Let's go. –He turned around.

-No way! What's the point of bringing her here and taking her away a minute after?

-I came here mostly to see you, the famous Charmed Ones, but I see you're in no place to take care of her, I can sense that leaving her here would be a terrible choice. We're going. With the girl. –He added.

-No! –Piper was about to freeze them when the girl raised her arm and a ring of water trapped her and Phoebe. –Let us go!

The brunette smiled and jumped into the water with the man and Billie.

-I'm sorry, I didn't know it would end like that. –Camille said and followed, leaving Piper and Phoebe disappointed and angry. The ring of water fell on the floor and set them free.

-No! –Piper shouted again, but they had already left.

-We'll come back. –Phoebe said. -And we'll get our friend back.

The two stayed there for a while, staring at the sea and assimilating the information.

…

Somewhere in the underworld, a woman was sitting in a black throne. A small man came into the room and gave her a glass with a dark red liquid, like blood.

-Did you do what I asked to? –She asked; her voice was soft, but also dark and terrifying.

-Yes. –He answered. –I told them that the Underworld has fallen to chaos; they don't think a great threat will come from here, at least not for a while.

-Perfect. –She said with a cold voice.


	2. Chapter 2

Revelations

Somewhere in the Underworld, the mysterious woman was sitting in her throne, talking to a small demon; her face wasn't visible, but she had dark hair falling down her back, like snakes, and was wearing a long, red dress that ended in flames near her feet.

-How long will it take, Milady? –He asked anxiously, twisting his fingers.

-As long as necessary; the darkness is settling down in their minds, and it might take time to affect all the four of them. –She replied with a dark voice. –Now don't bother me again, I can't spend my energy on you. –She waved her hand and the demon was shimmered away.

She waved her hand again and a cloud of dust formed in front of her; it spiraled and formed and image; it was Paige, alone in her room.

…

Paige was standing in her bedroom when she heard a noise.

-Henry? –She asked.

-No, just me. –A known voice said. She turned around and saw Dean, the angel.

-Dean! –She shouted. –I thought I'd never see you again! –She smiled, heading for a hug.

-The Elders don't tend to keep their threats. –He said, smiling back. –The angels of destiny forgave me.

Paige was happy to see her old friend, but then noticed something was odd; his eyes had turned red. -Oh no.

She waved her hand and orbed him into a wall, making his neck bend in a strange position, but he got up and came towards her.

-What are you? –She asked running to the kitchen.

-I'm your worst nightmare. –He raised his hands.

-I don't need demons in my dreams, I already deal with too many in real life. –She said, grabbed a knife and threw at him.

When she heard the scream of pain, she was brought back to reality. Henry was sitting on the floor with a knife on his shoulder; blood staining his shirt.

-Oh my god! –She said, kneeling besides him.

Henry grabbed the knife and dropped it on the floor, quickly healing.

-What happened? –He asked. –You looked hypnotized or something like that, and then threw a knife at me.

-I, I don't know; first I thought I was awake, then, I thought I was asleep, and then I hit you. I thought you were a demon. –She said, quietly.

-What? That's crazy. Is this related to the nightmares you've been having? Have you hurt anyone else? –The questions overwhelmed Paige.

-I don't know. What if I'm going crazy? What if I attacked anyone?

-Hey. –Henry got up and looked Paige in her eyes. –There's nothing wrong with you, ok? Maybe a demon or evil witch or warlock did this to you.

-Or maybe a ghost. –She added remembering the TV show she had seen the other day. –I don't know, but I'll look for some spells and potions. Maybe I was cursed…

-Go check it out, I'll take care of the kids. –He said and she left in a hurry.

…

In the manor, Prue and Phoebe were together talking.

-Thanks for letting me work here. –Phoebe said closing her notebook. –Working at home with two kids and a husband calling you all the time doesn't work. –She and Prue laughed.

-I know how you feel; at least I can use my new job as an excuse to leave when I need some air. –Prue joked.

-I'm glad you got a job at another magazine. –Phoebe said.

-Yeah, me too. –Prue said. –Thanks… -She was quiet for a moment. –Phoebe, with all this confusion, and all the time I was away, I didn't get a chance to ask… how are you holding up? I mean, about Cole…

-Oh… -She Phoebe looked down. –Well, I don't know… after all the things he's done, I should be glad to be free again, but… but he was really on our side this time; I thought that maybe, in the future, we could just be good friends, you know? Without any danger, or attacks, or betrayals…

-I have to admit, he died a good man. –Prue said, holding her sister's hand.

-Yes, he did. I just visited his grave yesterday. I do it every now and then, you know… Well… anyway, where's Piper? –She changed the subject.

-She went to meet the mermaids again and maybe convince them to give Billie back. I was supposed to do a research on this different kind of mermaid, but even the Book of Shadows doesn't have much on them.

-Why didn't she call me? –Phoebe asked. –I could help.

-She said she didn't want to disappoint you more in case it didn't work, and that she wanted you to focus on your normal life for once. I shouldn't be telling you this... –Prue said smiling. –But I don't like secrets. –She looked strange, guilty maybe.

There was an awkward silence for a moment.

-How's Charlotte? –Phoebe said trying to start a conversation again.

-Oh, she's fine. She's with Andy, he got a day off today and wanted to go out with her.

-I see… -Phoebe said and then hesitated for a second. –Prue, is something wrong? You look… odd. You're barely talking to me.

-I'm fine. –Prue said, but right after closed her eyes and fell on the floor.

-Prue! –Phoebe shouted kneeling next to her.

Wind currents passed through the manor, slamming doors and windows; Phoebe looked around as she heard the sound of them locking.

-Who is there? -She shouted, but no one answered.

Suddenly, there was a red flash in the living room and Prue opened her eyes.

-What happened? -The older sister asked.

-You blacked out and I think someone locked us here. –Phoebe said helping her sister get up.

They walked through the front door and saw that it and all the windows were locked.

-Let's go to the attic, someone must be after the Book! –Phoebe said and they left.

When they got to the attic, they saw a man, in a black suit waiting for them; he had dark eyes and hair. He raised his hands and the sisters were tied up and sitting on the floor.

-What? How did he do this? –Phoebe asked surprised.

-Hello, dears. –He said in a cold tone.

-Who are you and what do you want? –Prue asked; she tried to use her powers, but the ropes seemed to have blocked them.

-You know what I want; I want the truth. –Was all he answered.

…

Piper was at the beach, with some candles and a piece of paper.

-I called and you didn't come, now you don't have a choice. –Piper said to no one and lit the candles with her powers.

She chanted the words in the paper and soon a blue light lit in the ocean; the light grew bigger and soon Camille, and the man that refused to give them Billie appeared.

-What happened? –They asked in shock, falling on the floor. They were wearing their amulets and gained legs as soon as they reached the floor.

-I came to get what I want. –Piper she said.

-We can't give you Billie. –The man said.

-Why not? Because you're an annoying douche?

-No. I stand by what I said before, this isn't a good environment for Billie's healing, but now there's something else. –He said.

-What? Tell me!

-It's none of your business. –He got up, to be taller than Piper as they argued.

-I swear that if you don't tell me, I'll blow you up, smelly fish!

-Aggressiveness won't give you what you want.

-Noah, just show her. –Camille interfered. –She has the right to know.

He sighed and then offered her his hand to Piper.

-You'll have to come with us.

He grabbed Piper's hand and she was covered by a blue light.

-What is that? –She asked.

-It will allow you to breath underwater. –Camille explained. –You need to see it with your own eyes.

-How many tricks do you have? –Piper asked surprised. –The last mermaid I met didn't have half of those powers.

-There's more than one kind of mermaid, some are stronger than the others; us, for example, we can control water, allow you to go underwater with us and we have very strong healing abilities. –The man said.

-Please believe when we tell you that we dedicate our lives to save and protect everyone. Just like you. –Camille added. –We're not the enemies.

-Just take me to Billie, and no tricks. –Piper said and they jumped into the sea.

…

Prue and Phoebe were still tied up on the floor.

-Just tell us what you want; what truth are you talking about? –Phoebe asked.

-Only the truth. I want the truth; your truth. –He answered.

-Mine or Phoebe's? –Prue asked.

-Both! –He shouted walking around the attic.

-Do you know what is he talking about? –Phoebe asked. –This kind of things just happens to us.

- I'll figure this out. He's not a demon.

-He looks like a warlock.

-That's strange, he doesn't seem to mind if we talk. We could plan to attack him and he wouldn't attack us.

-We need a plan to get out of these ropes. –Phoebe said and Prue agreed.

…

Later that day, Henry opened the apartment's door after leaving the kids at school; when he got in, he found Paige sitting on the floor with a bunch of papers and empty flasks around, and some scorch marks on the floor.

-Whoa, what the hell happened here? –He asked.

-Nothing! Nothing worked. –Paige exclaimed.

-How do you know? Maybe it will need some time…

-No, I can feel the weight in my chest, whatever that is. –She sounded lost and worried.

-I think I can take you to someone to help; when you become a whitelighter, you must learn a lot about magical creatures so you can help your magical charges, and I remember reading about a hoodoo priest. –He said. –He knows everything about curses and dark magic, but it can be dangerous, his kind is known for shifting allegiance very easily.

-I don't remember reading about him. –Paige said, frowning. –But I just can't take it anymore.

-You've got a lot in your head. Let's go.

She sighed and they orbed away. They went to a dark and smoky place, full of skulls and feathers hanging.

-Who comes to meet me? –A voice asked.

-Me. –Paige said. –I need your help. I think I'm cursed, or being haunted. –She felt weird, like she was doing something wrong, or dealing with the wrong people.

-I see. Are you willing to pay for my services?

-That depends on the price; I won't hurt anyone to pay you. –She said promptly.

-Oh, I wouldn't want that. –The hoarse voice said. –I'm thinking about an ingredient, something hard to find…

-Ok. –She answered. –I can get you that.

-Are you sure? –Henry whispered.

-I need to do this. –She looked nervous.

-Then I can help you. –A tall man said appearing. He had drawn symbols all over his face. He put his hands on Paige's head and his eyes shone.

-Hey! –Henry pulled Paige away from him. –What are you doing?

–What you have is no curse or ghost; you have darkness inside you, and it's taking control over your mind. –He said turning to Paige.

-What? How's that possible? –Henry asked.

-She was involved with demons, very strong ones, and now she shares their darkness.

-The contract with the Triad. –Henry said suddenly. –That's what did that to you. –Paige just nodded, anxious.

-Ho can we fix this? –She asked.

-You need to be cleansed, and for that I'll need some ingredients. –He gave Paige a small paper. –The item I want as form of payment is already there. Come to me when you have everything. –He disappeared in the shadows, leaving Paige and Henry alone.

…

Piper and the mermaids swam until they reached a small cave.

-That's where you live? –Piper asked.

-No, that's where Billie is right now. –The man said. –Before you go in, I must tell you that she has woken up.

Piper ignored him and rushed into the cave; there were balls of light all around the place, and Billie was sitting on what looked like a bed.

-Piper! –She exclaimed and rushed to the other witch. –I can't believe you're here.

-Yes, I came to get you, we can go home.

Billie frowned.

-I don't wanna go. –She said quietly.

-What? –Piper was shocked.

-I have something to tell you. The magic they used to heal me is very ancient and it has some side effects…

-What do you mean? Is something gonna happen to you? –Piper was worried.

-Yes, I just found out…

-Tell me!

-I'm becoming a mermaid. –Billie said quickly. –The spell is doing that to me.

-You can't be serious! How's that possible?

-It was the only way to save her. –The man explained.

-And she won't become a full mermaid, she'll be like a weaker version of us. –Camille added.

-But we can fix this! Heck, we brought you back to life, we've done the impossible hundreds of time; I'm sure we can find some sort of cure. –Piper insisted.

-No, please. –Billie said. –There are others like me here and they said they've been looking for this "cure" for hundreds of years. And I want to stay and learn about what I'm becoming, because even if you find a way to make me human again, I'll have to live for some time as a mermaid.

-What about those bracelets that can give you legs, or something like that?

-The only last for some time. –The man said. –I'm sorry, that's why I couldn't let her up there. I thought you would just leave her here, but you came back.

-This can't be happening. –Piper sounded disappointed.

-Piper, I know it's been hard, and they told me you thought I was dead, I'm sorry for all the trouble, but I've accepted it, and you'll have too, there's no other way. –Billie said. –Tell everyone I'm fine, but that I'm staying. –Billie said sadly.

-What about your friends?

-Don't tell them anything yet, please. –She looked sad.

-You must go, now. –The man said. –The protection around you is wearing off.

-I'll find a way. – Piper said. She followed Camille out of the cave and they left.

…

In the manor, the sisters were trying to figure out what the man wanted.

-For god's sake, I give up! –Phoebe said.

-No! –The demon shouted. –Just say the truth!

-About what? –Prue shouted back and then she realized. –Oh no…

-What? –Phoebe asked.

-This is all my fault! How could I be so stupid? I should have realized this earlier. I've been lying to you. –Prue admitted. –I just didn't think it was this important…

-About what?

-I didn't spend four months with Lottie at the hospital, I only spent two. That's why I said I didn't want you to visit us, so you wouldn't find out, I'm sorry. I used a spell to make everyone think that I was there, but it was lie.

-Why did you do that? –Phoebe asked. –Is Charlotte even sick?

-She is, but her condition is better than you think. I did that because I used those other two months to look for something, for a person, actually.

*Flashback*

Prue was doing a spell, calling for someone from the future, but it didn't work. She sighed and then found a paper with an address written on it.

Later, she was walking in an empty alley; she pushed a door of an old and decaying building and got inside. There was a blond woman waiting for her; the woman looked tired and almost as decaying as the building she was in.

-Are you the one who called me? –Prue asked.

-Yes. –The woman answered. –My name is Amantis, and I've heard you tried calling people from the future. You were looking at all the wrong places.

-Listen, I looked for angels, witches, demons and magical creatures, I've tried spells and potions, but nothing will allow me to go where I want, actually, when I want.

-The future you're looking for doesn't wanna be found, there are very strong people there keeping you from finding what you want. They must have put a block on you.

-How do you know what I want?

-Because I was one of them, and I know about The Source and Jake. –She said.

Prue was shocked.

-But, how?

-A few months ago, when he went back to the future, he contacted me and told everything, I'm one of the bosses who helped him. And now I want to help you.

-Then tell me about the future about my daughter and Phoebe's. –Prue asked.

-Ok, in the alternative timeline, The Source wouldn't have gotten so strong, and you would have been able to vanquish him, then, his vanquishing would have released a strong wave of energy that would have made Paith and Charlotte stronger, allowing your niece to vanquish almost every magical creature and needing to be stopped by your daughter. –She explained.

-Ok, but that's not what happened.

-No, the future is very flexible, and sometimes, things that can change very important events happen. The Source got the oracle's powers and saw the future, and then he changed it, by getting even stronger. Jake found a way to change it back; he got the binding spell, because if Phoebe used it to bring Billie back, she would be able to use the Demon's Lock and vanquish the Source.

-So he fixed the future, he saved us all! Why was he killed for that? What kind of monsters are you?! –Prue got really mad.

-Wait! What are you talking about? When he got back, he was murdered by someone who didn't want the past to have been changed; he was supposed to be rewarded for what he did…

-I, I don't get it, that woman, Nicole Weston told me he was killed for messing with the past.

Amantis looked at her shocked.

-Nicole reached out to you? Listen, Prue, she's an extremist, someone trying to destroy the government, don't believe in a word she tells you. She's probably the one blocking you from finding the truth in the future.

-Why should I believe you?

-You're a witch, use your instincts! What do they tell you?

They were interrupted by a loud noise.

-Someone is coming for me. –Amantis said. –Please, go away and be careful with who you trust. –Prue nodded. –Oh, and one more thing; the binding spell, it fixed destiny more that Jake wanted it to; it affected Paith, making her stronger.

-Wait, then the problem is all back again.

-But this time is different. There's something demonic in Paith, but now Charlotte isn't involved in her destiny and won't be able to stop her. The future can be changed, you just have to look for the right person. Now, go! –She shouted as they heard steps coming closer.

-What about you?

-I'll be fine. –She said and Prue threw a potion on the floor being transported away.

*Flashback*

-I was looking for this "right person", but I didn't find anyone. I even looked for the Angel of Destiny, but we need a power of 3 spell to conjure him.

-Why didn't you tell us? –Phoebe asked, still trying to understand the whole thing. The man just stared at them, seeming to feed from their truth.

-I wasn't supposed to know about this future, and with the Jake thing I figured I shouldn't tell you… And then I shut you all off and Piper got mad at me, and I'm sorry; it all sounds silly now, but I thought I was protecting the three of you, and Paith.

-It's not silly at all! And we're here for you, we're a team! –Phoebe said. –You can't protect us from everything, and you can't face things like that on your own. But I forgive you, and I'm sure Piper and Paige will do the same.

They looked at the demon, who was staring at them. He glowed red and then turned into Prue.

-What the hell? –Phoebe exclaimed.

-Who are you? –Prue asked.

-I'm you. –The clone answered. –I'm your mind, projected.

-What? So you're saying this was all me?

-Yes; I'm a projection of your guilt and fear, and now it's time for me to leave. You're growing stronger, Prue, be careful.

The room was filled with a red light and she disappeared; Prue blinked and then took a deep breath, as if she had been underwater.

The sisters stood there, in shock.

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3

Hello, everyone! Thanks for reading my fic and commenting! Ok, a lot of you asked about Cole, and I'm sad to say that he's really gone; I didn't like his final death in the show, so I just wanted to give him a proper end, the death of a hero. I won't promise everything, but I'll see if I can mention him again without it being out of the context.

And Darkness Shall Come

Prue and Phoebe got up in the attic.

-This is crazy. This is so crazy, and messed up. –The younger sister said, walking in circles.

-I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. –Prue replied.

-I already forgave you, Prue, but didn't you think that my daughter's future was my concern? If there's something wrong with her I had the right to know.

-I know, I know, but I was trying to fix it…

-And Jake, oh my God, he's dead! And I've been here, happy.

-It wasn't your fault, Pheebs.

-But I had the right to know, that's the point. –Phoebe said, her eyes glowing from the tears.

-Please, don't get mad at me…

-I'm not mad, I'm sad, and frustrated. –She took a deep breath. –Call Piper and Paige. Ask them to come here, please. –She said and reached for a table. She grabbed a paper and a pen and started to write.

-What are you writing?

-A spell. I'm going to the future.

…

Meanwhile, Paige was back in her apartment.

-Let me see the list. –Henry said.

-Nope. –She said. –I'll do this on my own.

-Oh, come on. It's not like you can keep me out of your dangerous, magic world anymore. I'm already part of it.

-I know. But this is extra dangerous. –She turned around, being surprised when he orbed right in front of her and took the paper from her hand. –This is cheating. –She said, crossing her arms.

-Sorry, I'm not sorry. –He looked at her and raised both of his brows, provoking his wife.

-Ok, then. –She said. –Paper! –The paper orbed from Henry's hand to hers. –I win.

-Tell me, please. –He said with puppy eyes.

She sighed.

-There are a bunch of herbs and flowers, unicorn horn dust, a gargoyle claw. –She raised her brow. –A diamond and…

-And?

-A demon's soul. –She said. –I'm pretty sure we don't have that in the kitchen cabinet.

-I didn't know demons had souls.

-Neither did I. That must be the payment he wants.

-Paige, I don't think we should go after those things. I bet he's not gonna do anything good with _that_. And we're not even gonna be able to get this demon soul.

-We have to try. I'll keep an eye on him after that; won't let him do anything evil. Oh… -She said after looking at the paper again. –There's one more thing.

-What?

-We have to find them until the next full moon, because that's when the spell must be performed.

-And when is that?

-Tomorrow. –She frowned.

Henry was about to say something when Paige's phone rang, it was Prue.

-I have to go. –She said. –Pick up the kids and I'll meet you later. –She added, leaving.

…

Later, at the manor, all four sisters, Andy and Leo were together.

-Let me get this straight. –Piper said, running her hands through her hair. –Jake changed the future, Paith is in trouble, Prue lied... –The older sister looked down. –…And now you wanna go to the future to find out what to do, a future which Prue's been trying to reach for months, all by yourself? Did I miss something on the worst plan ever?

-Piper, you don't get it… -Phoebe tried to say.

-Of course I get it! Remember when my son was the chosen one and all that? That's a screwed up destiny. But we fixed that _together. _

-Yeah, Prue tried to do this on her own, but it didn't work. –Paige added. –We must do it together, as sisters.

-Guys, Prue can't go, they are tracking her somehow. If she tries to go, it will fail and they'll know were trying too.

-What if they're already tracking you? –Leo asked.

-They're not, and even if they were, I have a plan. –Phoebe insisted.

-Another great plan? –Piper asked sarcastically. She took a deep breath. –We're in this together. –She looked at Phoebe, then at Prue and Paige. –We all make mistakes, but forgive each other.

-I'm not mad at Prue. –Phoebe argued. –I'm serious when I say she can't go because it would ruin the plan.

-What about Piper? Or Paige? –Andy suggested.

-I, I can't. –Paige said. –I have to do something.

-What? –Piper asked, surprised.

-It's important. –Was all she said.

-I need to go alone. Otherwise it will drag too much attention. –Phoebe insisted. –Please, just trust me.

-Then let me go with you. –Leo said. –I'm just human, no one will notice me. And I'm trained, so I won't be in danger.

-Fine. –The girl finally agreed.

Piper looked at her husband, worried.

-Are you sure? –He nodded. –What's the spell? –She asked her sister.

-Come. –Phoebe said. They formed a circle, with Leo in the middle. She cut his and her hands and dropped the blood over the paper. –Say with me:

"We call upon the power of four

To break the lock, open this door

Send me through time and space

To meet Paith Halliwell's fate"

They chanted together and Leo and Phoebe disappeared.

-It worked. –Prue gasped.

-Why did she need a different spell? –Paige asked.

-To go secretly. She couldn't try a way Prue had already tried. –Andy said. –She had to create another door into the future, literally.

…

The next morning, Piper had to leave early to take this kids to school.

-Where's daddy? –Melinda asked.

-He's a little busy today, dear. –Piper answered, putting her daughter inside the car. This time, she was taking baby Prue with her. They had their special chair in the car, leaving almost no space for Chris.

-Ugh, why isn't Wyatt coming with us?

-Because he's not feeling very well. –Piper answered, hiding her preoccupation with her older son.

-Piper. –Prue said, coming from the door. –I'll take the kids today. Lottie is sleeping and will stay quiet for at least the next two hours. Go stay with Wyatt.

-There's no need, Prue. I'll be back in a flash.

-Pipes, it's ok. He needs you.

-Ok, thank you. –She sighed, handing the keys to her sister. It was nice having her back. She said goodbye to the kids and went to Wyatt's room. He had a fever and she sighed.

-He's gonna get better. –A voice said from her back, startling her.

-Who are you? –She asked raising her hands, ready to attack. She looked at an elderly man, with a golden robe. An Elder.

-My name is Nathaniel. –He smiled. –I'm friends with Leo, I teach at Magic School sometimes with him.

-Oh. –She said. –He's not here.

-I know. He asked me to keep an eye on your children sometimes. Whenever I can, I do so.

-Why isn't him healing himself? –She looked at the little boy.

-Those bracelets you got them, they stop your kids from using their powers in public, right?

-Yeah, I made them when it got too hard to control them, now that they are older they want to use their powers all the time. But he is not wearing his right now.

-Maybe some of its effect lasted a little longer.

-Well, I hope.

-At least he's getting a true experience as a normal kid. –He said and Piper rolled her eyes, but not really mad.

-I didn't want that kind of experiences for them.

-Oh, Mrs. Halliwell, a normal life brings good and bad things, just like the magic life. –He added with a smile and orbed away.

Piper wanted to ask why he revealed himself now, but didn't get the chance.

…

Paige orbed back from magic school, carrying most of the ingredients in a bag.

-Now, where can I get a diamond? –She asked herself. He face suddenly lighting up when she had an idea.

She had a new charge, a witch called Ashley; she had the power to turn things into completely different ones, like oranges into paper, a fork into a sword, or maybe a rock into a diamond. She knew it was a long shot, and that Ashley wouldn't like doing it, but she was desperate. She grabbed her phone and dialed a number.

-Hello? –A sweet voice answered.

-Ashley? It's Paige, how are you doing?

-Oh, I'm great! Is everything ok? Why are you calling?

-Oh, everything's ok, but I do need a favor. You know I said that as your whitelighter I would never ask for anything back from you, that it was my duty to protect you, but I need to ask this as a friend.

-Yeah, sure! Whatever you need, Paige! –She sounded worried and curious.

-I need you to make a diamond for me, just a tiny one, please. I know you don't like creating stuff like jewels and precious things, but this is an emergency.

-Paige, you said everything was ok…

-I know, it's a matter of… mental sanity. –She said, remembering her last nightmare, with a demon killing her sisters.

-I'll see what I can do. –She promised. –When do you need it?

-Until tonight.

Ashley sighed.

-Ok, I'll call you. –She said and hung up.

-One problem solved. –Paige sighed. –Now all I need is the demon soul.

-I've found a way. –Henry said, coming into the door. –Do you know how the Book of Shadows keeps creating more entries as you need? So, I took a look and found out that the demon's soul is a ring.

-A ring?

-Yep. There are actually seven of these specific rings, and he wants one of them. They were created thousands of years ago, theoretically to be given to the first demons.

-And how are we supposed to get them?

-That's the catch, no one knows where they are, but the book had a very specific drawing. Maybe you could call for it…

-Do you think I can orb it to me? Just by looking at the picture?

-Well, you told me you've done that before, and since you started getting more charges, your whitelighter powers became stronger.

-Henry, you're a genius! –She said, kissing her husband.

-Here, I brought the page. –She said, showing a paper in his hands.

Paige grabbed the page and stared at it; the ring was dark, probably made of iron, it had a dragon spiraling around it, and a black and dark blue stone, probably an opal, carved into it, positioned in front of the dragon's open mouth. She closed her eyes and focused on the drawing; she pictured it coming out of the paper and orbing right into her hands, and that's what happened.

-It worked. –Henry gasped, astonished.

-It did. –Paige said. She couldn't take her eyes off the ring, the will to try it was too big, but she resisted and threw it inside a small wooden box. –It's a dangerous object. No one must touch it, ok? –Henry nodded.

-Now, we just wait. –He gave a small smile.

…

Phoebe and Leo fell in an alley. They got up and cleaned the dust in their clothes.

-_When_ exactly are we? –Leo asked.

-Something around 20 years from our time, after Paith… lost control.

-Wait, Jake restored the future, by making us able to defeat the Source, but I thought that it also made Charlotte an ordinary witch, unable to defeat Paith.

-You're right…

-Then how did they stop her?

-That's what we need to find out; also why they don't want Prue here and what does that Natalie want.

-Where do we begin looking?

-Jake told me his address once, maybe we should check his house. –She said and they started walking.

It didn't take them long to find the place, luckily. They stopped in front of a small building; they took the elevator and found his door. Phoebe levitated and kicked the door open, getting an impressed look from Leo. Phoebe smiled and proceeded to walk inside, but when she touched the door to, she got a premonition:

"A blond woman was standing in the apartment, she had just appeared there, and there were three people waiting for her, a woman and two men.

-Nicole! –The blonde gasped.

-Hello, Amantis. –The other woman replied. –I see you have disobeyed me.

-You're crazy! You just want power and fame! –Amantis accused. –I'm not gonna let you do that.

-It's already done. –Nicole said, calmly. -And you know how much I hate traitors. –She smiled, cruelly. –Daniel, Andrew, shoot her. –She said and the two men obeyed.

Amanti's body lay lifeless on the floor."

Phoebe gasped after the vision was over.

-What did you see? –Leo asked.

-Nicole, the woman who lied to Prue, attacked Amantis, the one who helped. It was probably right after she came back to the future.

-I thought this was Jake's apartment. –Leo said.

-It is. –A man answered. He had a gun pointed at Phoebe and Leo.

…

-How is Wyatt doing? –Prue asked Piper as they walked in the living room.

-A lot better now. I'm taking his bracelet for a while.

-Don't you think he'll get angry about it when he find out? Actually, when all your kids find out.

-Oh, but I didn't strip their powers! They can use them here at the manor, at Phoebe's and Paige's places and at Magic School, and also to protect themselves, it just avoids problems at school or any other public place. Also, Phoebe and Paige are using them too.

-Well, I have to admit it was a great idea after all.

-Yeah, Chris changed schools twice because he used his powers. –Prue couldn't help but to smile.

-I missed so much of their lives, of your lives. –She said. –And now that I'm back I screw everything up and use my baby's condition as a cover.

-Oh, come on, Prue. We're not mad. I understand you were only trying to help. –She sighed. –And we all make mistakes sometimes.

-Let's hope it's not too late to actually fix things. –Prue said.

-I trust Leo and Phoebe, they'll figure everything out. –Piper said and hugged her sister.

…

Paige and Henry went back to the hoodoo priest's "store".

-I brought what you asked. –Paige said. –Everything.

-Great. –The hoarse voice answered. –Right on time.

She gave him the bag with everything and he looked at every object.

-Come on. –He said and they followed him to the back of the place. They left and found a hill in front of them. –We must perform the ritual on the top of the cliff. –And there they went.

The man mixed the herbs and the dust in a bow; he added some water and then looked at Paige.

-I need your blood.

She agreed and he cut the palm of her hand, dropping the blood into the bow. Henry watched everything with a frown, he pressed his lips into a thin line and crossed his arms.

-Now, let's begin. –The priest said and started chanting words in a language Paige didn't understand, which was strange, since she should be able to understand any language. He put his hand into the mix in the bow and then drew a sign in Paige's forehead with it; he kept chanting and Paige felt everything becoming dark.

Henry's jaw dropped as he saw Paige hover; there was a dark purple mist around her and her eyes were white.

-What are you doing?! –He exclaimed, but didn't get an answer. The priest raised his hand, and the mist followed his movements. He, then, conducted it into the diamond, which was in his other hand.

Paige fell on the floor and Henry went to help her.

-Paige, dear! Are you ok? –He asked, shaking her.

She gasped for air when her eyes opened.

-Yes. I feel… clean. –She said. –Thanks. –She looked at the man, who held the diamond with a dark smile.

-All the darkness that was inside you is now in here. –He pointed at the gem. –Well, almost all of it.

-Almost? –Paige asked.

-It's impossible to stop some from escaping. –He said. –But the ones in the diamond are gonna stay here forever, unless someone breaks it.

-At least we don't have to worry about that. –Henry sighed.

-What are you gonna do with it? And the ring? –Paige asked.

-It's smart to keep a collection of rare items. –He said, simply. Paige looked at him, but she knew she couldn't do anything.

…

Phoebe and Leo walked into the apartment and sat on chairs, obeying what the man told them to do. Phoebe used her empathy to try and calm him down, and it was slowly working.

-How do you know about Jake? And how do you know Amantis was killed here?

-I'm witch. –Phoebe said. –She didn't feel like revealing her name yet. –I met Jake in the past, and came here to investigate some things. –She trusted her feelings –and the man's– and kept talking. –I know you like him, so believe me when I say we're friends.

-What kind of investigation are you doing?

-We need to know how Paith Halliwell was defeated. And why is Prue Halliwell being held from coming to this time.

The man seemed confused, Phoebe's empathy was getting him to talk.

-You can lower your gun. –She said and he did.

-She was killed by her best friend. You know, the Halliwell girl was always very strong, and soon they found out she had demonic energy inside her. When she learned this, she used it to get closer to demons and vanquish them; one by one, she rid the earth of those creatures. After that, she lost control; she was just 18 and had such a big burden to carry.

-She began killing other magical beings, right? –Leo asked and the man nodded.

-She went after whitelighters, making the Elders close the gates of Heaven and leaving us here, alone. The magical community also hid themselves, fairies, dwarves, ogres, even witches. The Halliwell family was hunted by the government, but some people loved them, for riding the world from magic.

-Wait, everyone knew about magic?

-Yes. –He answered, surprised. –The magical community was revealed, and the made deals with the government. They ignored each other, keeping everything peaceful. In the beginning, Paith was a hero to everyone, but some disagreed with her killing, especially when she hurt other witches, that lived normally with other humans.

-But the government couldn't stop her... –Phoebe said, recovering from the shock.

-No, they couldn't. Her best friend approached her, she was working with us, secretly. –They talked, and when Paith least expected… Are you ok? –He looked at Phoebe. She was bleeding from pressing her nails too hard against her hand. She was mad at the ones who ordered her daughter's death.

-Yes. –She said. –Please continue. –She had to keep the man calm.

-Our-our agent stabbed her. We didn't order that, we told her to dissuade Paith, but she said it was her only option. Even though, we fired her. –Phoebe got calmer. Jake was working with them, and he would never they order a girl's death. –However, she did save the world, and that got her fame and richness; she was elected president of the United States, president Nicole Weston.

Phoebe and Leo were shocked with everything, and that was the last drop. Magic exposed, Paith being dead, Nicole being her best friend and becoming president. The same Nicole who killed Amantis, the closest person to Jake that Phoebe had ever met.

-Can you get me a glass of water? That's a lot of information. –Phoebe said.

-Sure. –The man answered and went to the kitchen.

-Leo, I can't keep using my empathy to get him to talk, I need my energy to take us back.

-It's ok, I think we can trust him. We should tell him who we are.

-Yeah. One more thing, why didn't the cleaners stopped magic from being exposed?

-Maybe it was too hard, maybe the damage was too big to be contained. –He guessed.

Phoebe looked worried. She went to the kitchen after the man.

-I don't believe we introduced ourselves. I am Phoebe Halliwell, and that is Leo Wyatt.

-I knew I recognized you. –The man said. –You are younger, obviously, but your faces were all around the country, with a reward to whoever found you. It wasn't your fault what Paith did, of course, but you were gonna be arrested anyway.

-Oh… -Was all Leo could say.

-Don't worry, though. You're very good at hiding. –The man said. –Soon they will make new deals with the community, and when everything's back to normal, you might even be set free. Oh, I'm Octavian, by the way.

-That's reassuring. –Phoebe said sarcastically. –I need to know one more thing… -She added. –What are you exactly? What is this agency you work for? –She was tired now.

-When magic was revealed, and the deals made, MCA was created. It means Magic Containment Agency. We dealt with whoever broke the peace between the magic community and the humans. I was the big boss, well, the second in command. Amantis, Nicole and Jake were my agents. Now we live as a clandestine group, and there's only a few of us left; Jake died 5 years ago, and Amantis 2 years ago, a little before Nicole became president.

-That's crazy. –Phoebe said. –Why did she kill Jake before Paith even attacked them.

-She knew about the future, just like him. She was the one who gave the idea of the demon's lock. She planned everything to become president, and Jake was a liability.

-She's sick. –Leo said. –We have to get her.

-You can't. –The man said. –And even if you could, you would be arrested. She's done terrible things to get the power she wanted, but, unfortunately, those things cannot be proved and are kept in secret. She's not a mean president, she won't harm people or magical creatures.

-But she will keep hunting anyone related to the agency. –Phoebe said and the man nodded. Suddenly, she felt a pain in her stomach. –Leo, we must go, the spell is about to take us back. –She looked at Octavian. –We will find a way to help you. –She said. –Whatever it takes.

-I trust you. –He said with a wink.

Right after, Phoebe and Leo were sucked back to their time.

…

They arrived at the attic, being received by Piper, Prue and Andy.

-You're back! –Piper said. –Are you ok?

-Yes. –Phoebe said. Her head hurt.

-What happened? –Prue asked, but they were interrupted by Wyatt calling from downstairs. They went there and found him by the door, with Billie and Camille waiting outside.

-Billie! –Piper and Phoebe said.

-Guys, I need your help. –She said.


	4. Chapter 4

Dark Hounds

-Morning. –Billie said coming into the manor's kitchen. –Piper and Leo were there, having breakfast.

-Good morning. –Piper said. –How are you feeling today?

-I'm better. –She said, remembering the previous day. She and Camille were at the cave, when a strange dark hound appeared and attacked them. They were lucky Max, the merman who was helping her, came and saved them; he got bit in the arm, and they left to get help. They went to the manor, but it was late and everyone was too tired to do anything, so they decided to wait until the morning.

-I'm glad you decided to stay here. –Leo said.

-Well, it's only temporary. Whatever attacked us, escaped and we need to find it. –Billie said. –You know I can't stay, because soon I'll be a mermaid, and the attraction of the sea will be too big to handle.

-We can look for a way… -Piper suggested, but she knew Billie didn't want it.

-There is my home now. Come on, we need to focus. Where's Prue?

-At work. I had someone watch the restaurant for me today.

-That's good, I mean, thank you. –Billie said and the couple giggled.

-What are you becoming exactly? –Leo asked, curious.

-A mermaid. Well, at least partially. I won't get all their abilities, but they're not sure what will happen to my witch side. Here in North America there's never been a case of a witch that needed to be transformed.

-Aren't you scared? –Piper asked, sympathetic.

-A lot. But Camille and Max have been great to me; they have a whole community down there.

Piper gave a sad smile.

-You'll be in good hands. –She said. –Let's take a look at the book of shadows.

The two women went upstairs and opened the book.

-I can't find it. –Piper said after they flipped through the pages. Tell me again what it was.

-A big, dark hound. It seemed to be made of smoke and it walked normally under the water. My powers didn't work on it, but Max hit it with a trident.

-What was it made of?

-Silver, I guess, otherwise it would get rusty.

-So maybe their weakness is silver, even though it didn't kill it…

-Max missed the shot, I distracted him, and then the hound bit him.

-Did the wound have anything strange?

-You sound like Leo. –Billie said smiling. –They do say couples tend to become more like each other as the years go on. –Piper smiled at the comment. –Anyway, I didn't get the chance to look at the wound, he sent us here right after.

-I'll ask Leo to look for something in Magic School, maybe a book. –Piper said. –Meanwhile, we need to get a silver weapon to use.

-I'll work on a tracking spell, then. –Billie said.

…

Meanwhile, Phoebe was about to leave her apartment when Coop called.

-Where are you going? –He asked.

-To the manor. I'm going back to the future. –She said, seriously.

-You can't. –He said. –Billie needs your help. Here and now.

-What about Paith? She's our daughter!

-I don't know what in hell happened in that crazy future that made us let our daughter become something like that, but now that we know, we can stop it. We've got years to figure out what to do, and we might not even need weeks.

-That's why we've gotta start now.

-Listen, I know you wanna save Paith, I know Nicole will try to stop us, and I know we'll find a way. But that can wait, ok? Right now, you have friends and family who need you; you have two beautiful daughters and a job you love more than anything, you can't risk losing that by becoming obsessed with this.

-I'm not obsessed. –She said, but her tone wasn't sure.

-I get that you're mad. You're mad because Cole and Jake are gone, because nothing is ever normal to us and because you feel you've failed, but you have to be strong. And I'm here to be strong with you. –He looked at her in the eyes and she fell on him.

She hugged him as tight as she could, holding on to the parts of her life she love the most.

-Ok. I'm gonna help Billie, and then _we_ can look for help. –Her husband smiled at her words.

She left in a hurry, banging the door.

…

In the underworld, the woman in the red dress stood in her throne; she had a diamond in her hand, the diamond filled with Paige's darkness.

-You've done me a great favor. You shall be rewarded when I rise. –She said to a man in the shadows. He came out, revealing himself as the hoodoo priest.

-It's an honor, your majesty. –He said, bowing. –I have another thing for you, and I expect it to bring me a favorable position in the future. –He added grabbing a wooden box from his pocked. He opened it, revealing the ring.

-Where did you find this? –She asked, surprised, angry and excited at the same time. Strands of her hair fell on the floor, turning into snakes and creeping away.

-I got a Halliwell to pick it up. Of course I had to hide her from your sight for a while or it would ruin the surprise.

-I could just kill you and get the ring. –She said, coldly.

-Yes, but you won't. You want a loyal right arm, a strategist, a warrior. And I can be that; I brought this ring as a proof. –He handed her the ring. She put it in her index finger, the blue gem contrasting with her dark brown skin.

-Very good. –She said. –You can command my army when the time comes. –She said. –But at the first sign of betrayal, you'll burn, and I'll step over your ashes. –She added and he left. –Back to where I was… -She said to no one. She looked at the diamond in her hand and crushed it, releasing the purple smoke. It spiraled and turned into dark wolf-like creatures. –Go, my hell hounds. –She said and they started to run.

…

Paige and Phoebe were at the beach, Billie asked them to come with her; she was gonna ask Max for his trident, she knew it could hurt the hound.

-How are you gonna get there? –Paige asked.

-I have this. –Billie answered, pointing at a bracelet in her wrist. –It'll call them. And then they can take me.

-Will you be able to do this after you become… you know… a mermaid? –Phoebe asked.

-Probably, but I don't know. I feel like a prototype. –Billie said, laughing.

-You're dealing with it pretty good. –Paige commented.

-Not all the time.

Their talk was finished when Camille appeared.

-Billie! Finally. –She exclaimed. -What took you so long?

-I'm sorry. –She answered. –We're still looking for the creature that attacked us, but I need Max's trident.

-Billie, we need a cure, forget about the monster. –She cried.

-Cure? For what?

-Don't you know? Max's wound won't heal, he's getting worse by the hour. –She said. –He said he'd told you.

-Well, he didn't. –Billie said. –Take me to him! –She urged and Camille did so. She covered Billie with the blue bubble and they jumped into the sea.

-Shouldn't we do something? –Phoebe asked. –Camille was really upset.

-Leo's already looking for information. The best we can do is help Billie… -Paige was interrupted when something hit her. It was a dark, smoky hound.

-Paige! –Phoebe yelled. She raised her hands and red sparks flew to the monster, unfortunately, with no effect.

She, then, levitated and kicked it, setting Paige free.

-Oh, my… -She said getting up. The hound was already up to. She waved her hand and tried to orb the dog into the rocks, but the orbing was interrupted and it fell on the floor.

-Our powers don't work. –Phoebe said.

-Maybe not our witch powers. –Paige said and then she shot a light beam from her hand. It hit the monster, making it fall and roll over the sand. The hound made a loud sound, like metal being scratched by another.

-It worked. –Phoebe said. –But how?

-It's from my whitelighter side. –Paige said. –But how can we hold the hound before it escapes? –On cue, the hound got up, partially healed and ran away. –No! –She shouted and threw another beam, but missed.

-Leave it, Paige! –Phoebe said. –Later we'll track it.

…

Billie swam with Camille until they reached the ruins of a sunken town, where most mermaids lived. They went to their healing center, where Max was staying. Billie rushed through the entrance, finding the man lying down. His tanned chest was exposed, with symbols drawn all over it.

-How's he doing? –She asked, worried.

-No very good. –A man said, coming from behind.

-I'm ok. –Max said, trying to sit down. –They insist on keeping me here, but my wound is already healing! –He exclaimed. He took the bandages off his arm and showed the wound, partially healed.

-God, this looks awful. –Camille said.

-She's right. –Billie agreed.

-His wound is healing, but there's some kind of poison inside him. –The man said. –I can feel it.

-I'm fine. –Max insisted.

-No, you're not. I'll find the creature, maybe we can make a serum, or something. –Billie said. –I need your trident, Max; it's made of silver, right?

-Yeah. –He answered. –It's in the cave, where we fought the hound. –Billie nodded and headed to the door.

-Wait. –The elderly man said, his pale skin glowing in the water. –You need to hurry.

-I'm trying. –The girl answered and left.

After some minutes, she came out of the sea, carrying the trident. It was already getting dark.

-Finally! –Phoebe exclaimed. –How's your friend?

-Not good. He's poisoned. We need to do this now.

-The hound came after us while you were gone. –Paige said. –I can wound it, maybe this will give you time to attack with the trident.

-Great. –Billie said. –We need to go to the manor to do the spell. –She said.

…

Later, Piper and Prue were at Piper's restaurant. Prue was talking while Piper grabbed some stuff.

-I love when we close earlier. –Piper said, laughing.

-Must be a tiring job. –Prue commented.

-You can bet on that. –Piper replied. –But what about your job? I saw you went to work today.

-I tried to, but… My daughter needs me. The magazine gave me another month off, but then I'll need to go back.

-Hopefully, by then everything will be fixed.

-My fingers are crossed. –Prue said, smiling.

All of the sudden, a noise startled the two girls.

-I thought we were the only ones here. –Prue said.

-We are.

A shadow passed through the wall, gaining the form of two hounds.

-Oh no. –Prue said. She waved her hand, but nothing happened. –My powers don't work on it.

-Try this! –Piper said. She waved her hands and the air exploded right in front the creatures. They weren't affected, but it gave time for them to run.

They went to the kitchen, and Piper locked the door.

-Grab the silverware! –Piper shouted. –In the cupboard in the corner. –Prue followed what her sister said and grabbed two silver knives.

Right after, one of the hounds broke through the wall.

-Don't you dare! –Piper said, waving her hands. The wall reconstructed around the hound, but it just phased through it.

-Piper! –Prue shouted and threw her a knife, giving the sister a chance to wound the monster.

-Run! –She said and they hid in another room. They looked at each other, not knowing what to do.

…

Billie, Paige and Phoebe arrived at the attic, where the spell was.

-Where's everyone? –Paige asked.

-Leo's at Magic School with the kids; he said he'd call if he found anything. –Billie answered. –Piper and Prue, I don't know…

-Well, let's do the spell, they can catch us later. –Phoebe said. –What do you need?

-Max's blood, it will lead us to the hound. –She showed her stained shirt. Then, she grabbed the crystal used for scrying and dropped some of the blood over it. –It's not what I had in mind, but it'll work.

"Creatures that hide in the shadow may never be free

Reveal your location, appear to me"

The crystal jumped over the map and showed Piper's restaurant.

-This can't be good. –Paige said. –Come on! –She orbed them away.

They arrived at the restaurant and found it wrecked by the hounds. One of them was walking around the kitchen's door, but not doing anything else.

-There! –Paige said and shot a light beam. It hit the hound and it fell on the floor, giving Billie the chance to stab it with the trident. The creature shrieked and disappeared in smoke.

-We have to find them! –Phoebe said going into the kitchen, she found the other wounded hound, as it was getting up. –No! –She levitated to kick it, but it turned around and scratched her. –Ouch!

-Careful! –Paige shouted and tried to hit the monster, but it evaded and headed to another door. Prue and Piper came out of it, as if on cue, and dodged the creature.

-I got this! –Piper said and threw the knife, hitting the dog and making it vanish in smoke.

-We did it. –Prue sighed.

-Not so fast. –A feminine voice echoed in the room, it hurt their ears, making the girls cover them with their hands. In the spot where the hound was vanquished, another four appeared, but they took the form of werewolves.

-Who are you? –Billie shouted to the air, but the voice didn't answer. She whirled the trident in her hand and got ready to attack the monsters.

Paige went to help, and so did Prue. They fought bravely, weapons and magic against claws and teeth. Billie spun and stabbed one of the werewolves, and this time, a scorch mark was left on the floor after it vanished. Prue fought the other, but she was knocked on the floor and dropped her knife. The creature stopped above her and was ready to attack, but then it was stabbed in the back, vanishing; in the spot, there was an astral projection holding the knife. It disappeared in a red flash as Prue got up.

-Phoebe, are you ok? –Piper rushed to her sister. –Did it hurt you?

-No, I was just scratched. –She said. –But the cut wasn't deep.

-What's going on? –She asked, looking at the fight.

-I have no clue, but… -She was interrupted by Leo calling.

-Piper! Girls! –He shouted.

Piper got up and went to the front door.

-What's going on? –She asked.

-Don't kill the hound. –He said. –It will only make it stronger. –He said, breathless. –The silver sets them free.

-Holy cra… -She started to say and rushed back to the kitchen. As she got in, she saw Billie slaying the last one. –NO! –She shouted, but it was too late.

-What? –Billie asked.

-We shouldn't have killed it. –She said.

-Why not? –Paige inquired.

-Because it's a way to bring them to our world. They're hell hounds. I found a book in Magic School about them; they served the first demons, as loyal warriors, until a knight killed them. Lilith, one of the demons brought their spirits back, in the form of dark hounds, to haunt our world.

-Ok, but why killing them was bad? –Billie asked.

-When those spirits are killed, they get more involved with the darkness of the underworld, to the point they get a corporeal form. The thing is that it's very hard for a man to die and become a dark spirit, let alone be turned into a hound.

-The spirits, they came from me. –Paige said. –The hoodoo priest must have done this. He's stronger than I thought…

-What about the demon, Lilith? –Piper asked.

-Oh no, that's pretty much impossible. –Leo reassured. –Even with our luck. It can't be her.

-So I just screwed everything up. –Billie said.

-Oh no! It was not your fault. –Phoebe comforted her. –We all thought we were just facing a normal enemy.

-But I… -She tried to argue, but stopped. –Shouldn't they be coming back? –She looked at the marks on the floor.

-They would be already here. –Leo said. –For some reason, they fled.

-This is not good. –Paige said.

-Neither is this mess. –Piper said, trying to cheer everyone up. –Look at my restaurant! –They had a small laugh, despite the tense atmosphere


	5. Chapter 5

How I Met My Daughter

Phoebe and Coop were in the manor's attic, with Prue and Piper.

-What's the plan again? –Piper asked.

-We're gonna use Coop's ring to bring the Angel of Destiny from the future. She might help us. –Phoebe explained.

-Why from the future? –Prue asked. –I couldn't use a power of three spell, but now we can.

-If we get someone who's actually been to the future, instead of just knowing it, we have a bigger chance of getting help. We'll just use the normal spell, but Coop will redirect it through time.

-I don't know how we keep coming up with this messed up plans, but… let's do it. –Piper said.

-What about the hounds? –Prue asked. –What if they come back?

-We can't do anything now. They have vanished completely. –Phoebe said. –Now let's do this spell. –She was anxious.

They joined hands and started chanting:

"Power of Three,

We summon thee,

And call to us,

The Angel of Destiny"

Coop's ring shone and a reddish portal was opened; the sisters held their hands together, waiting for the angel, but they received something else. Two brunette girls fell from the portal, along with a man. They got up, confused, and the man disappeared in a spiral of ashes.

-No! –He got away! –One of the brunettes said. She had light brown eyes and light skin. –We gotta find him, Prue. –She said to the other girl.

-Whoa. Prue? –Prue asked.

-Who are you? –The girl turned to them. –Where did you… -Shock filled her face as she recognized them. –Mom? Dad? Aunt Piper and Prue? What the hell. –She said.

-They look younger. –The other one, Prue, said. –What's going on?

-Wait, are-are you P.J? –Phoebe asked one of the girls. –And you…

-Mom? It's Paith. –The other one said. –Why are you staring at us like that?

-The ring. –Coop said. –It works with your heart, you brought them… -He was as shocked as the others.

-That's a big backfire, because the spell was pretty clear. –Piper snapped.

-What are you talking about? –P.J. asked.

-We were doing a spell to summon the angel of destiny from the future. –Prue explained. –But it brought you instead.

-Wait, we're in the past? Which year is it? –Paith asked.

-2011.

-Wow. –She said. –That's amazing. We're back to stone ages. –She joked.

-Did you just call us old? –Piper exclaimed. –Back to the future, you two.

-No, wait! –Phoebe said. –They can help.

-And we have a Lazarus demon on the run. –P.J. added. –We were fighting him, and then there was a flash and we appeared here.

-Ok, we'll talk and then we can catch the demon, we can track him. –Phoebe said.

-I have to go meet Billie. It's important. –Piper said. –You can tell me everything later. –She added, leaving.

-I'll go track the demon while you talk. –Prue said and the others left.

They went downstairs and sat in the living room.

-This place is just as I remember. –P.J. commented. –That's amazing.

-So… you said we could help. –Paith said looking at her mom. –Help with what?

-This is so weird. –Coop commented, getting the same judging look from the three women.

-Paith, I need you to tell me what exactly you have done. How old are you? –Phoebe started.

-What do you mean? I'm-I'm 17.

-So you already know. About the demonic energy, I mean.

-Yeah… -Paith admitted. We only just found out. –She raised her brows. –Why?

-Wait, how do _you_ know? –P.J. asked. –You found out with us. Paith is supposed to be, like, one year old in this time, you shouldn't know.

-That's the thing, we're changing the future. Paith, you're going to do something bad with your powers, but we can prevent it. –Phoebe said.

-What? How can you say that? I know I exposed magic, but I also got rid of most demons! There are only a few left. It's not something bad. –She looked down, sad.

-No, dear… -Phoebe said.

-Something is gonna happen. –Coop continued. –I don't how much of it I can tell you…

-If you tell us, then we can stop it! –Paith insisted.

-It's not like that. –He said. –I don't think we can. It's inside you, and I'm afraid you won't be able to control it.

-What am I gonna do? Tell me, please! –She was starting to panic.

-You're gonna turn against all magical creatures, including witches; you'll be haunted and will end up killed by Nicole Weston. –Phoebe said, seriously.

-Nicole, our Nicole? –P.J. was as shocked as Paith. –That can't be, Paith is good, she's a witch, and she's your daughter! How can you say that about her?

-We don't like this, ok? That's why we're trying to get the Angel of Destiny and stop this. –Coop said. –And you can help us.

-If we change my future, do you think we can prevent this? –Paith asked and her parents nodded. –Then let's do it.

-Wait! –P.J. said. –We need to catch the Lazarus demon before we go. I'll go after him.

-I'll go with you. –Coop said. –The rest of you can contact the angel, convince her while we're out.

Soon, the two of them left, leaving Prue, Phoebe and Paith alone.

…

Paige was about to leave a restaurant, after having lunch when she heard a ring in her head, indicating that one of her charges was in danger. She went back, entering into the restroom and secretly orbing from there.

Paige appeared in Ashley's apartment, where she was being attacked by a man. He waved his arm and Ashley was thrown away, hitting a wall.

-Sweet taste of revenge. –He said.

-Hey, you! –Paige shouted. She waved her hand and he was crushed by a bunch of orbs, but not being vanquished. He got up and threw Paige away, making her slip on the ground until she hit a table.

-Go away, witch! –He growled.

-Paige! –Ashley shouted and threw a knife to her whitelighter. Paige orbed it and redirected the shot right into the demon's heart. He vanished in ashes, which covered the floor.

-Ugh, I'm getting old. –Paige said as she got up, with a hand on her lower back. -Are you ok?

-Yeah. –Ashley answered. –Thank you.

-Thank _you_. –Paige said. –You did great.

-After you saved me. What was that?

-A Lazarus demon, we have to take it to a cemetery before it comes back.

-He can resurrect? –Ashley was shocked.

-Yep, that's why he has this name. But you should know that, I mean, he knew you, he said he'd got his revenge.

-I'm pretty sure I had never seen him before, he must be crazy.

-Well, we can talk later… -She was interrupted when the demon rose from the ashes. –No! –She shouted, but he had already teleported away.

-That was fast. –Ashley commented.

-Yeah, too fast. Seems like we have some work to do now.

…

Meanwhile, Piper and Billie were at Magic School, surrounded by books.

-I'm sure someday they'll kick us out. –Piper commented. –We're here more time than the actual students.

-Well, our tests are a little harder, and deadlier. –Billie said. –But that's ok. –She passed through bookshelves, looking for one. –Have you checked the book Leo told us about?

-Yep. There was nothing about poison, much less a cure.

Billie made a strange noise, indicating she was mad and tired. She leaned on a table, and accidently dropped a potion on the floor; it exploded and left a huge hole that showed the floor below.

-Damn. –Billie said. –Who leaves this kind of potion around?

-Don't worry. –Piper said, she waved her arm and the floor started to reform itself.

-Wow. That's amazing! I didn't know you could do this!

-I've just learned it the other day. Apparently, I can do this and this. –She waved her arms again, but this time, part of the wall just vanished, as if it was disintegrated. Right after, she undid the effect.

-That's so cool.

-Yeah, it is. But I can't shake the idea that I'm not supposed to have those powers, I'm getting too strong.

-And we know what that means. –Billie said. –Bad stuff coming. –Piper didn't answer.

Billie kept flipping through the books when she had found something.

-A spell! –She shouted. –That's what we need.

-I told you, we can't create some spells. –Piper said without taking her eyes from the book she was browsing.

-No, I've found a spell! It's a spell to heal the body and soul. It has to work!

-How come we've never heard of it?

-It doesn't work on humans, or witches, so it's not used so often. We can enhance it with the power of four and "boom".

-"Boom". –Piper repeated, smiling.

…

In the manor, Prue, Paith and Phoebe are together, planning what to say. Prue was holding baby Paith.

-I'll convince her to help us. –Phoebe said. –Let's hope it'll work.

-But the angel won't come from the future. –Paith questioned.

-Yeah, but with you here and all they must have a clue about what's coming, even though they don't like to let us know about the future. –She said.

-It's the angel of destiny, why would you think that bringing her from the future or the present would make any difference?

-For heaven's sake. –Phoebe massaged her forehead. –You kids are stubborn, aren't you? I thought that maybe have seen the whole disaster, the angel would be inclined to help, but now we're doing a new plan, ok?

-Ok. –Phoebe's daughter answered. Then, she muttered something about moms never changing.

They held hands and started to chant:

"Power of Three,

We summon thee,

And call to us,

The Angel of Destiny"

A ball of light appeared in the room and spiraled, making a woman appear. Her white robe contrasted with her dark skin, and her eyes were dark brown.

-Well, well, I see you don't give up. –She smiled. –You know you can't keep calling us.

-I know. –Phoebe said. –But it's an emergency.

-Phoebe, it's all part of the Grand Design, I mustn't change it.

-So you do know what we want. Don't you get it? In the future, angels, witches and other magical creatures were all haunted, and mostly killed, my family is wanted, magic is exposed, and the USA has a crazy psychopath as president. Are you saying we must let that happen?

-Don't you think your judgment is clouded by your involvement in the story? _Your_ family haunted, _your_ daughter responsible… -Paith looked down.

-It isn't. –Prue stepped up. –Phoebe wants what's best for the world, don't you see? It's about keeping the balance between the magical and the non-magical, about stopping a genocide and making it right.

-But demons will still walk on Earth, we're avoiding a battle you won't be able to win. –She said. –I'm sorry.

-Wait! What battle? I'm done with secrets and with all this missions!

-There would be an impossible battle for you. That's why another way was found. So there was no need to call The Charmed Ones.

-But it's a terrible alternative. I'm not letting my daughter carry my burden.

-Mom. –Paith said. –I can do it.

-But you won't. –Prue said. –We can do it, one last time.

-I said, it's a battle you can't win. –The angel insisted.

-You don't know that, we've done the impossible way too many times. –Phoebe said.

-You can't…

-Just let us do it, please. –Prue said. –We've never let you down.

-I'll have to seek for the other angels and see if they approve this decision. I'll come back, and your cousin must be here with you. –She pointed at Paith. –You don't know what you're getting into…

-Wait! Before you go… –Phoebe called. –How's Dean? Paige's friend? –Phoebe remembered Paige telling her about the nightmare she had about her long gone friend.

-I'm afraid I can't tell you about that. –She said and disappeared.

…

Coop and Prue followed the tracking spell until it took them to Ashley's apartment. They found Paige and her charge coming out of the place.

-Coop! –She exclaimed. –Who is this? –She looked up and down at Prue. –Are you cheating on Phoebe? You…

-What? No! Are you crazy? I'd never do that. –He exclaimed. Ashley had given them some space to talk. –She's Prue.

-No, she's not. –Paige said as if it were obvious.

-Not your Prue, my Prue, P.J. –Coop explained. –We accidently brought her from the future.

-Oh, that's weird. –Paige rubbed her head.

-Nice to meet you, well… you got it. –Prue said, raising her hand, which Paige shook.

–And what are you doing here?

-We're looking for a Lazarus demon that came back with us. –She exclaimed. –We tracked it down here.

-That explains a lot. My charge over there… -She pointed at Ashley. –Probably trapped him in the future, because he's looking for revenge.

-Oh, yeah. I was the one that set him free, accidently. Usually they go after the one who defeated them, but this is a slightly different case. –Prue said, blushing.

-We need to find him. –Coop said.

-We can use her as bait. –She said.

-Not my charge. –Paige argued.

-I don't think we have an option. –Coop said. –Please, Paige. –She sighed.

-We can take her to a cemetery. –The teenager suggested.

-He wouldn't come. –Paige said. –But what about near one? I'll orb his ashes as soon as he's vanquished.

They all nodded and went to Ashley.

Some minutes later, they dropped her a block away from the nearest cemetery; Ashley stood there alone, pretending to be on her phone. Soon, the demon appeared behind her; he held her by the neck.

-Let's see how you do without you whitelighter. –He tried to choke her, but she had transmuted her phone into a knife and stabbed his arm. He let go of her, giving the chance to run.

-Now! –Paige shouted and P.J. astral projected, appearing next to the demon. She kicked his legand distracted him, while Paige created orbs to crush him. When they were done, his ashes were on the floor.

-That's your cue. –Prue said to her aunt and she orbed his ashes away.

-Are you ok? –Coop asked his daughter and she nodded. –Great, now we must go back, your mom called.

…

They got to the manor at the same time as Piper and Billie, who were carrying Max.

-What's going on? –Phoebe asked.

-We found a way to heal him. –Billie said. –We modified a little the spell, so we need the power of four.

-Come on. –Piper called.

-It's good we're all here, then. –Paige said.

Coop and Leo helped put Max on the couch, still unconscious, but in his human form. Billie showed everyone the paper, and the sisters chanted:

"Make this wound hurt no more.

The power of four will heal this sore"

They watched as a wave of light hit Max, making the symbols in his body disappear and the wound in his arm heal.

-Did it work? –Piper asked.

-I think it did. –Billie said. –Thank you so, so much. –She said. –You are awesome.

-_We_ are awesome. –Paige corrected and then noticed Paith. –Who's that?

-Paith. –She said. –Hello, aunt Paige.

-You brought her too? Are you having a party or something?

-We're waiting for the angel of destiny, we're trying to fix things.

-Oh, I see…

Right after, the angel appeared again.

-Your wish has been accepted. –She said. –We'll alter destiny, but you were warned about the risks.

-What risks? –Piper asked.

-Apparently another big bad wolf in town. –Prue said.

-Don't say I didn't warn you. –She said and then turned to Phoebe. –I can't undo what's been done to your daughter, but you can share this energy, then, I'll freeze her destiny for a few years, when her demonic side wakes up, it will be too late and too weak to do anything. –She explained.

-Perfect. –Phoebe said. –What will happen to me?

-That, I can't say. Do you agree?

-Su… -Phoebe started to answer.

-Wait! –Paith said. –Will I remember anything?

-You won't. And you'll all forget part of it. –She looked at the adults in the room. –You can't try to make any other modifications in your destinies. The Grand Design must be always preserved.

Before they could answer, she raised her hands and the room was filled with a blinding light. When she disappeared, Paith and Prue were gone, and everything seemed normal, except that Phoebe now had this strange feeling in her guts. They looked at each other, worried, but no one knew exactly why.

-I should take Max back. Thank you so much. –Billie said as if nothing had happened.

-Let me help you. –Paige said, orbing them away.

-Well, that was a strange day. –Piper commented. –I think I'm gonna go get some sleep. –She headed upstairs.

-We should leave too. Good night. –Phoebe and Coop beamed away.

-Good night. –Prue answered. She had a worried look on her face.


	6. Chapter 6

Hidden Evil

Piper was in the kitchen, cooking several things at the same time. She was using her powers to help her, heating up some of the food, but in a moment of distraction, she dropped a glass on the floor; she tried to freeze it, but it was too late.

-Oh no. –She complained. She looked around to see if anyone was near and then waved her hand, rebuilding the glass. She smiled at her new power and continued to put all the food on the table.

After she was done, she went to the basement, where Prue and Phoebe were training combat together. Phoebe had just done a flying kick, with the help from her levitation power, which Prue evaded skillfully. She, then, tried to hit back, but Phoebe blocked her. Prue closed her eyes and an astral projection appeared behind Phoebe; as they fought, though, another one appeared.

-Not fair. –Phoebe said. –Since when can you create unlimited "Prues"?

-Don't know. –She replied and they disappeared. –Break? –Phoebe nodded.

-You're doing great. –Piper commented when she got there. –Why are you training so hard?

-We've gotta get back on shape. –Prue said. –Don't know when the battle's coming, but we better be prepared.

-And it feels good too. –Phoebe added. –I missed this energy.

-You're pretty good for our age, but just remember you're not twenty anymore. –Piper said, smiling. –Now come have lunch.

The sisters agreed and went upstairs.

…

Paige was walking in a park, her clothes were dirty and her hair messy.

-Ugh, I can't do this anymore. –She complained as she walked through some bushes. –Why did this leprechaun have to hide here? Why not in a spa, or at least near my house? –She kept talking to herself.

She stopped when she hear a pain moan coming from nearby. She rushed to the place and found the little man lying on the ground, with an arrow in the right side of his body; his shirt was stained with blood and his eyes were closed.

-Oh no! –Paige gasped and rushed to help. She kneeled besides him and he opened his eyes slightly. –Hold on. –She said. –Arrow! –She orbed the arrow out of his body.

The leprechaun groaned and gasped in pain, and Paige tried to be as careful as possible.

-Don't worry, I'll help. –She put her hands over his wounds, but it didn't heal. She tried again, and again. –Why isn't it working? –She looked around, worried. –What happened?

-A… hunter. –He said, with difficulty. –This arrow is poisoned… I was hit too… too long ago

-I'll find him, but after I get you a cure.

-You can't… I'm too far… -He couldn't finish.

-Hold on for a minute, ok? I'll come back. –She orbed away, leaving him there.

She appeared in the manor, where her sisters were having lunch.

-Girls, I need your help. –She said.

-What's wrong? –Piper asked, getting up. –Are you ok?

-I'm helping this leprechaun, but I can't heal him. He was poisoned by some arrow. Do you remember the spell we used on Billie's friend?

-I do. –Phoebe said. –Let's go.

They all stood close to Paige and she orbed them away, but this time, her orbs were a little darker. They appeared in the park, next to the leprechaun; she was gone for only a minute, but he looked a lot worse. Sweat dripped from his head, and his face was twisted in pain.

-Wow. –Prue said. –Who could have done that?

-A hunter. –Paige explained. –Come on, let's do the spell.

They held their hands and started to chant:

"Make this wound hurt no more.

The power of four will heal this sore"

Strangely, nothing happened.

-It didn't work. –Phoebe said, shocked. –Why?

-Let's try again. –Prue said, and they did. Again, there was no effect.

-No. –Paige said. –Is it something wrong with me?

-Of course not. –Piper said. –Maybe… maybe he's too far to be saved. –She pressed her lips, tense.

-I can't let him die, especially not in pain. –Paige said. –I said I'd help.

-I can do something. –Phoebe said. She put her hands over the leprechaun and they were surrounded by a gray aura. His face became peaceful, but he kept lying there.

-What did you do? –The younger sister asked.

-I took away his pain, all off his feelings, actually. It's like the opposite of my empathy. I don't know why I can do that now.

The three sisters stared at Phoebe, probably thinking the same thing.

-I'll take him back. –Paige said, suddenly. –I'll take you home first. –She grabbed the arrow on the floor and orbed her sisters away.

When they got there, they found Leo and Billie, talking.

-Billie! –Phoebe said.

-What are you doing here? –Piper asked.

-I came to tell you I'm going back… to the mermaids, I mean. –She said, staring at the three sisters' disbelief faces. –I'm thankful that you helped me with Max and the hounds, but I've gotta get back, I'm feeling closer and closer to them, and I feel my powers changing.

-But I thought you were staying, I thought you had changed your mind. –Piper insisted.

-You know it's not a hundred percent my choice. It's more something I need.

-Just let us help you in the beginning! I mean, let us take a look at the book and try to figure something out. –Phoebe said.

-Ok. –Billie sighed. –But I'm sure there will be nothing there.

They went upstairs, to research the Book of Shadows.

-Sometimes new entries appear. –Phoebe said. –Maybe something's changed.

She grabbed the book, but when she opened it, it was blank.

-What the… -She kept flipping through it. –It's empty.

-How come? That's impossible. –Piper said.

-Oh no, maybe it's me, the demonic energy. –Phoebe said and handed the book to Piper, but nothing changed.

-Billie, call Paige. –Piper said. –I'll get someone to help. –She left.

Piper went to Wyatt and Chris's room, where they were playing, and Leo followed her.

-Who are you gonna call? –He asked.

-Your elder friend. I suppose he's watching right now.

-Nathaniel? How do you know him?

-He was here, when Wyatt was sick. Maybe he can help us.

-I don't know… -Leo was interrupted when the elder appeared.

-Leo! How are you? –He said, greeting him like an old friend. He looked like Santa Claus, but in golden clothes and with no gloves.

-I'm good. –Leo answered, smiling.

-I heard you needed my help. –He said. –Is anything wrong with the children?

-No, they're ok. –Piper said. –The problem is with me and my sisters. Come, let me show you.

They went back to the attic, where Prue, Phoebe, Billie and now Paige were waiting.

-Who's this? –Billie asked.

-That's Nathaniel, he's an elder. –Leo introduced his friend. –Maybe he can help us.

-What happened? –He asked.

-Something is wrong with our powers. –Phoebe said. –We couldn't do a power of four spell, and the Book of Shadow is empty, everything's gone.

-And some of us have been showing strange power advancements. –Prue added. –My astral projection is growing stronger by the hour, Phoebe got this… I don't know… _apathy_ thing…

-Apathy? –The elder asked.

-Yeah, she said it was like the opposite of empathy, right? –Prue explained and Phoebe nodded.

-And my whitelighter powers are growing too, but in aggressive ways. It's wrong. –Paige said, remembering the light darts she used against the hounds.

-Piper's powers are growing too. –Billie said. –But to me it was ok, she could reverse the effects of her powers.

-Or anything similar to them. –Piper added. –Undo explosions, or breaks, and stuff. –She didn't think her new powers were strange, even though she knew that never meant something good was coming.

-I see. –Nathaniel said. He raised his hands and closed his eyes. –I can sense darkness in here. There's an aura around you, around the five of you. –He looked at Billie. –I don't know what did this, but…

-It's my fault. –Paige said. –I knew it, that cleansing never really worked.

-Yes it did. –Phoebe said. –The hounds came from that. It's my fault, the Angel of Destiny said I'd face consequences.

-No, no, no! –Prue interfered. –No pointing fingers.

-Maybe it's everyone's fault. –Billie said. –Remember that the hounds were supposed to come back, but didn't? Maybe they're doing this to us.

-But it started now. –Prue argued. –Why?

-The demonic energy triggered it. –Leo concluded. –Since you're sisters it affected all of you. –That's the only explanation.

-What about Billie? –Piper asked. –She's not our sister.

-But she was with us all this time, it must have affected her too. –Leo explained.

-I don't like the way this is going. –Paige said.

-Well, you do have a complicated history, don't you? –The elder said. –Unfortunately, I can't do anything now. I can look for a solution, but I can't guarantee it will work.

-Thank you. –Leo said.

-I must go. –He added. –I'll come if I have any news. –He orbed away.

-Ugh, we're so screwed. –Billie said. –It's sounding like something terrifyingly planned.

They all looked around, concerned.

-Ok, I'll go home and work a little. I can't stand feeling as useless as I feel right now.

-I'll go with you, I'm meeting Andy. –Prue said.

-You could all use some fresh air. –Leo said and Piper agreed. –I'll look at the kids while you go out and do something.

-Well, I have a hunter to find. –Paige said. –See you tomorrow. –She orbed away, her orbs a little darker.

However, as soon as Piper, Prue and Phoebe walked out of the door, they were approached by two men in black suits.

-Excuse me? –Phoebe said. –Who are you?

-They're with me. –A voice explained, coming from a car. It was Agent Murphy.

-Agent! Long time no see. –Piper sounded surprised.

-That's a good thing, right? –He joked. –I need your help, girls. I'm lucky that I got three of you here.

-Agent, it's been some tough weeks for us, I don't think we can help… -Phoebe said.

-It's urgent, a hostage situation involving a demon. –He said. –I'm not calling you for nothing.

-What kind of hostage situation? –Piper asked.

-At a bank. The demon is disguised as a human and demanding many things. There is something around 10 innocents there. The camera caught him creating a fireball, but people thought it was a gun.

-We have to go. –Prue said. –Get him to agree to let the innocents out and us in. We'll vanquish him before you know.

-That's a little more complicated. How are we gonna explain his disappearance? –Phoebe asked.

-We'll get him to come out. –Murphy explained. –In the truck, you can vanquish him. I just don't get why would a demon rob a bank?

-If it's an upper level demon, maybe he's trying to live here. –Piper said. –The underworld is a pure mess right now.

-Ok, can I count on you? –He asked and they nodded.

…

Paige was at her apartment, with the arrow in one of her hands and a crystal in the other. She was scrying for the hunted, and the stone pointed to a place on the map. She orbed away and appeared in a dark alley. The street was smoky and people hid in the shadows.

Paige walked confidently, until she found a broken door, the place the crystal had indicated. She walked inside and everything changed. She found what looked like a magic night club; dwarves, nymphs, faeries, leprechauns and other creatures walked around; the music was loud and everyone was drinking, dancing and gambling in the corner.

-What is this? –She asked to no one in particular.

-Welcome to The Nest. –A woman in a black dress said to her. –The best place for your magical adventures.

-What? So it's really a place for magical creatures? How come no one finds out?

-It's well hidden, you can't be tracked inside here. –She explained and then kept walking. She held a tray full of empty glasses.

-Wait! –Paige rushed after her. –You work here, right? Do you know who the hunter is?

-We've got many hunters here, witch hunters, gypsy hunter, bounty hunters… but if you're looking for the big man, it must be him. –She pointed at a tall and muscular man, with a bow and quiver on his back. –He got here just now. He's called Eagle Eye, because he never misses a shot. He works for the Magician himself.

-Thank you. –Paige said and left after the man.

He was standing next to a table with four other man: a bald man with an eye in the back of his head, a man that was part snake, a darklighter and a man in a large dark green robe. They seemed to play some kind of card game, while the hunter watched over.

-Hey, you! –She said. –Come here! –She knew she was being stupid, this was a place full of demons, and evil creatures that could attack her, but she couldn't walk away.

-Me? –He asked coming towards her. –What do you want… -He sniffed the air. –_Witch_ –He said, disgusted.

-I want justice. You killed a leprechaun today, and he didn't deserve it. This is one of your arrows, right? –She showed him the arrow.

-It is. But I didn't kill anyone who was innocent. That leprechaun was in dept with The Magician, and he doesn't like liars who don't pay their bills.

-So you killed him? This is sick. –A small crowd gathered around them. –I won't let you walk away.

-Are you really challenging me? –The hunter said and the Magician stared, curious.

-Yes, I am. –Paige looked at him, brave. –Ready to lose? –She smiled, provocatively.

…

Piper, Prue and Phoebe were wearing black spy clothes.

-Ready? –Murphy asked and they nodded. –Remember the plan: immobilize him and vanquish him here. Good luck.

-Don't forget to turn off the cameras. –Prue added. –Don't want anyone seeing us, right? –He nodded.

They left and agent Murphy contacted the demon. As soon as the girls got in, three people were sent out.

-We agreed to let everyone go. –The agent argued.

-I'm not stupid. I know you sent witches, I'll keep my insurance with me. –He crushed the phone in his hands. He had exposed his true form now, with red and green face.

-Hey. –Piper said when they got in. She waved her arm and froze the 7 innocents there.

The demon rushed to them, but Prue sent him against a wall.

-Not so fast. Piper, freeze him!

-I can't. –Piper said. –It's not working.

Slowly, he got up and sent a fireball against Piper, she blew it up, but the explosion sent her against a wall and unfroze everyone. It was a total chaos, people screaming and shouting for help, they saw that he was distracted and tried to get up.

-Everyone calm down! –Phoebe shouted, using her empathy. –Girls, take care of him! –She asked. She kept her hands up and looked at the people, transferring calmness and peaceful thoughts.

Prue astral projected and kicked the demon in the back, sending him to Piper, who blew the air in front of him, unbalancing him. He fell on the floor, but before they had a chance to attack, he sent an energy blast that knocked Piper and Prue down.

Everyone screamed when he got up and grabbed a man by his neck.

-Give me what I want or I'll kill him. –He said to Phoebe. She put her hands down, and even though no one moved, their panic was clear.

-Let him go. –She said.

-You don't get to call the shots. –The man he held was afraid and shaking.

Phoebe raised her hand and a grey aura appeared around it. The demon's anger disappeared, and so did his will to get what he wanted. He let the man go.

-You're part human, you have feelings. –She said.

Piper and Prue were getting up, and Piper quickly froze the 6 panicking people. Before they realized, the man next to the demon also had an empty look on his face.

-Phoebe, stop! –Prue put her hand in her sister's shoulder. She put her hand down, and the man and the demon "woke up".

Prue waved her hand and sent the demon against the ceiling; he fell on the floor, unconscious.

-We're done. –Piper said in the phone to Murphy.

The three sisters looked at each other and at the man on the floor, confused.

…

Paige was kicked out of the place, and fell on the floor, sliding until she hit a wall. She slowly got up, hurt. When she looked up, she saw Eagle Eye with an arrow pointed at her.

-Do you know why they call me Eagle Eye? Because I never miss a shot. –He let the arrow go, but Paige was prepared. She created and orb shield and the arrow fell on the floor.

-Too bad. –Paige said. She raised her arm and orbs appeared around the hunter, crushing him.

-Aren't you gonna do anything? –A man asked The Magician.

-He chose his fight, I won't interfere. There are plenty of hunters out there.

The hunter used his strength and broke the orbs, he had an animal look on his face. He set three arrows and shot them. Paige evaded by using her shield, but she had to find a way to vanquish him, whatever he was.

-Tired? –Paige asked. –I can do this until you run out of arrows.

-That won't happen. –He shot two more arrows. The first one hit the force field and broke it, leaving Paige defenseless.

-Arrow! –She shouted right on time, and the objected was orbed back, hitting the hunter. She wasn't planning to do that, but she couldn't control herself.

He fell on his knees, horror printed in his face. The magician and the others went back to the club, leaving him there. Paige noticed, as the blood dripped from the wound, that the hunter was human.

-Oh lord! You're a human! –She said.

-Of course I am. –He gasped.

-But-but how come you never miss?

-It's the bow and arrow, I was good, but they made me perfect. I was in dept with The Magician, now I'm free.

-Oh no, please no. –Paige said. –No, no! I killed someone.

-You've dealt with bad men before. –He gasped.

-Demons! And warlocks, and monsters, not humans! And I can't heal you.

As she cried, the man passed away. She got up and stumbled through the dark, not knowing what was real and what was not anymore.

-Henry! –She called. She kept walking, running from the shadows around her. She saw people and monsters and just kept walking, until she collapsed on the floor.

Henry orbed right next to her and kneeled on the floor.

-What's going on? Are you hurt? What were you doing here?

She didn't answer, she had an empty look on her face. He held her and orbed away, leaving the place empty.


	7. Chapter 7

Lose Your Mind

*Flashback*

Henry put Paige in bed, after orbing away from the alley.

-Paige, what happened?

-There was this guy, he worked for a man, I don't know, someone called The Magician. –She muttered. –I-I thought he was a demon, or warlock, and we fought…

-And then? Tell me! –Henry was very worried.

-Then I killed him.

-Vanquished him, you mean.

-No, killed. He was human, forced to work to pay some debt. I could have saved him, but I…

-No, no, no. it wasn't your fault, Paige. It was the Magician's fault, he forced the man to fight with you. You had no other choice.

-There's always another choice. –She said and turned around, laying sideways without looking at Henry.

-Get some rest. –He sighed and then said.

Paige slept, but she didn't rest, waking up all the time from the worst nightmares.

*Flashback*

Two weeks later…

Paige woke up in the manor, in her old room. She looked around, confused, and headed for the lamp, to lighten the room.

-What the hell am I doing here? Did I orb in my sleep? –She asked herself. She walked to the door and tried to open it, but failed. She sighed. –Not those nightmares again, please! Ugh, I have to wake up! –She shouted, with no success.

She tried to orb, but it failed again. Then, she raised her hand, looking at the doorknob; once again, nothing happened.

-This is getting repetitive. –She said, angry. She moved back a little and then kicked the door, next to the knob, remembering the technique Henry had taught her. The door cracked open, showing the dark outside of the room.

She walked slowly, looking for the light switch. Once she found it, the room was filled with light, allowing her to see properly. She went downstairs carefully, looking out for any enemies; it was the first time she felt ready to fight after the incident at The Nest. She explored the manor and found the sunroom trashed; there were shards of glass all over the floor, and the windows were broken. She quickly grabbed one of them to use as a weapon if she needed.

-This is strange… -Paige said.

She kept on exploring and went to the living room, also trashed. She jumped over the grandfather clock on the floor and saw someone on the couch. She held tight to the shard and approached the person, a woman; when she touched the black haired woman, she turned around, waking up.

-Prue?! –Paige exclaimed.

-Paige? What are you doing here? What time is it?

- I don't know, it's dark and I woke up here… -She was interrupted when Prue woke up and looked around.

-What happened in here? Everything is destroyed! –She was shocked.

-That's what I was trying to find out, until I found you! I was gonna look here, and then upstairs. –She talked, swinging her arms while doing so.

-Why are you holding a shard of glass? You almost cut me. –Prue reprehended the sister.

-I don't have any powers in here. I thought it was a dream…

-What? It can't be a dream. Am _I_ dreaming? –She swung her hand, but nothing happened. –My powers…

-There's something weird going on, we need to find out.

-You said you haven't looked upstairs, right? Then let's start there. –Prue suggested and they headed for the stairs. –Wait! –She whispered and headed back, grabbing a piece of wood from the floor. –I need something to attack too.

-Why are you whispering? –Paige asked, quietly.

-Well, whoever did this might still be in here. –Paige shrugged.

-Ugh, we look ridiculous. We're supposed to be the most powerful witches alive, or something. –Paige complained as they went up.

When they got to the second floor, which took longer than it should, they were almost hit by a lamp.

-Careful! –Prue shouted and pushed Paige, making her escape from the lamp thrown at her. –Piper?! –Prue asked as she looked at who threw the lamp.

-Prue? Paige? Thank heavens you're here. –Piper said.

-So we're really not dreaming. –Paige said.

-Of course not, Sherlock. –Piper snapped. –What is going on? Are you powerless too?

-Yeah. –Prue answered. –Where were you?

-I woke up in my room, at first I couldn't move, but then I managed to get up and leave. I couldn't blew up my door, and it was locked, so I had to open it with a clip…

-Since when can you do that? –Prue asked.

-Since now, I guess… the door's really old, so it wasn't that hard. Anyway, I was about to check on Wyatt when I heard you two coming up….

-And then you threw a lam at us? Are you insane? –Paige exclaimed. –We need to have a talk about how to approach other people.

Piper rolled her eyes, playfully.

-Well, I don't think Wyatt is here. We are the only ones. –Prue said.

-What about Phoebe? –Piper asked. –Let's go check her room.

Paige kicked the door open again, gaining surprised and impressed looks from her sisters. Unfortunately, the room was empty and the window open, swinging the curtains.

-She's not here. –Prue said. –And she's not downstairs either.

-What about the basement? –Paige suggested.

-Let's see the attic first. –Piper decided.

As silently as they could, they went upstairs, finding a dark room.

-I can't see anything. –Paige whispered.

-Here –Prue said heading for the switch.

-Oh my god! Phoebe! –Piper exclaimed and ran to her sister. She was tied up to a chair and gagged. There was blood in her arms and face.

Paige used the shard to cut the ropes, while Prue took off the cloth that was covering her mouth.

-Are you ok? –The older sister asked. –Are you hurt?

-Look at all this blood. –Piper said.

-I-I'm ok. –Phoebe stuttered. –I woke up in here, tied. I couldn't see anything and then you came.

-This blood is not hers. –Paige concluded. –Maybe it's from whoever trapped us here.

-Do you remember fighting anyone, Phoebe? –Prue asked and the other one shook her head as an answer.

-This is so strange, we can't remember anything about this. –Piper said.

-We have to leave. Now. –Prue said. She helped Phoebe get up and they went to the stairs, being surprised when a man appeared; he was wearing black, and his face was covered by a black mask.

-Oh no. –Piper said, pushing her sisters to go back.

-Stay away from us! –Paige pointed the shard at him, but he grabbed a knife that was attached to his belt. –Oh…

He ran and tried to stab her, but she evaded.

-Run! –Prue shouted and then hit the man's knee with her "bat".

Piper and Phoebe, unarmed, ran downstairs, being followed by the other two.

-I can't… -Piper said, breathless.

-Let's go to the door. –Prue said.

-No, it'll be locked. –Paige interrupted. They were all in the first floor now.

-What, then? –Piper asked, but the man showed up right after.

He jumped over Piper, dropping his knife and trying to choke her. She struggled, but he was stronger. Prue and Phoebe grabbed his arms, but he knocked the younger one down; while he was distracted, Piper kicked him in the stomach, making him let go. She got up and helped Phoebe get up too. In the confusion, Paige grabbed another piece of wood.

-Hit him! –Phoebe shouted, but Paige was paralyzed.

-I've got this. –Prue said and tried to hit him in the head, but he escaped.

-Split! –Piper shouted and ran to the kitchen, being followed by Paige.

Phoebe distracted the man, while Prue headed to the door.

-Damn, it's locked. –She exclaimed as a knife hit the wall right next to her head.

-Try some of that. –Phoebe said, kicking him in the back and giving time for Prue to run.

In the kitchen, Piper and Paige were hiding behind the counter.

-Oh god. –Piper panted. –That was close.

-I'm sorry. –Paige said. Her face was marked with shock. –I-I couldn't hit him.

-It's ok. I know how hard this must be for you. I didn't even ask how you were doing…

-I'm ok, at least I was. I accepted that he was working for the Magician and that I had no other choice, but I don't think I'm ready to face anyone who's not magic yet.

-I'm sorry, but you'll have to deal with that because there's a psychopath in here trying to kill us. –Piper was scared.

-I know, I know. This is sick

-Yeah, it is. Come on. –Piper got up. –We might have something on the basement to protect ourselves.

Prue and Phoebe were chased to the sun room.

-The window. –Phoebe pointed. She tried to jump out of it, but something pulled her back.

-There's something magic in here. –Prue said. She looked back at the window and it wasn't broken anymore, and it was made of steel.

-Come on. –Phoebe called when they heard him approaching. She pulled her sister into the dining room.

The man went into the room, following the two, but he turned around when he heard a noise coming from the kitchen. He got there and found the door to the basement open. After he got downstairs, Piper hit him with a wooden bat, breaking it in his head; he fell on the floor, unconscious. Paige came and tied him as tight as she could with a rope.

-Take off his mask. –She suggested and Piper was about to when they heard a noise upstairs.

-Go! –Piper shouted to her sisters and they went back to the living room. –Prue? –She shouted.

-Where are them? –Paige asked. –What if he hurt them?

-Don't! –Piper ordered. –Don't say that, ok? Let's check the attic.

They found their sisters there, working on a potion.

-Thank god. –Piper gasped, relieved. –What are you doing?

-Stunning potion. –Phoebe explained. She ran around the room, grabbing the ingredients.

-Will it work? We don't have powers. –Paige said.

-I hope it does. –Prue said. –Otherwise we'll be pretty screwed.

Piper ran her hands through her hair, worried.

-He's tied downstairs, we knocked him out.

-Great! –Phoebe said. –Really great.

-The last ingredient. –Prue said, adding some dust to the bow. With a small explosion, the potion was ready.

-Now let's go after him. We'll do this and try to break the door. –Phoebe said.

-What if it doesn't open, like the windows? –Prue asked.

-I don't know! –Phoebe said loudly. –I'm scared, ok? This is crazy! I'm going nut in here! –She took a deep breath, nervous.

-Calm down. –Piper said. –We'll figure this out. Let's go after him first, maybe we can interrogate, or something.

They all went back to the basement, but it was empty.

-No! That's impossible! –Paige said. –He cannot have escaped.

-Where is he, then? –Prue asked. –He'll find us.

-We're dead. –Paige said. –Oh my god.

-Shut up! –Piper said getting nervous and angry. –He's not gonna kill us. Come on.

They went back to the conservatory, where Prue showed the steel windows.

-Who would do this? –Piper asked.

-I can think of a thousand demons. –Prue said.

-What if it was the Magician? What if he's mad because I killed his hunter and wants revenge?

-You said he let you leave, he wouldn't have done that… -Piper tried to reason.

-He's messing with us, it's better than fighting me there.

-It doesn't matter who did this. –Phoebe said. –We have to find the man.

-The garden! –Prue suggested. –It's wide, so it'll give us space if we have to fight. Let's lure him there.

-How? –Paige asked.

-You go. I'll go right after. –Prue said. –Someone get a rope, and Phoebe, be ready to throw the potion.

-No way. –Piper argued.

-It's our best option. Just go with it, please! –Prue said.

The three sisters ran to the garden, each one of them stayed on place, ready to attack. Prue, in the living room, shouted and made noise, until the man came from upstairs.

-Wanna fight? –Prue asked and ran to the garden.

He followed her, as expected, but when they got there, she jumped to the left and Phoebe threw the potion at him. The man stood there for a second, paralyzed, but then he moved and grabbed his knife.

-It didn't work… -Prue said, still on the floor. The sisters stared, scared.

He grabbed his knife and threw it straight.

-Careful! –Phoebe shouted, but it was too late, the knife had hit Piper. She fell on her knees, the blood appearing in her shirt.

-Piper! –Paige and Prue shouted at the same time. The younger sister got to Piper, while the other one headed for the man.

Phoebe also went to attack the man. The three of them fought, but he was too strong; he knocked both of them down and proceeded to try to choke Prue.

-Oh no, Piper. –Paige said, kneeling besides her sister.

-The-the knife. –Piper gasped.

-It's ok, you're gonna be ok.

-Use… the knife. Attack… him. –She said, struggling. Her shirt was stained from the blood coming from her stomach.

-I can't, it's the only thing keeping you from bleeding to death. –Paige's hands shook, and she was crying.

-Please… save them. –Piper panned.

Paige nodded and then grabbed the handle of the knife; she looked away and pulled the knife.

-Prue! –She shouted and slid the object to her sister. Then, she pressed Piper's wound, holding the bleeding.

The older sister saw the knife coming and grabbed it before the man; she stabbed him in the back and he fell. Phoebe got up and went to help her sister.

-Take off his mask. –She said, but when Prue did, they found a man with no face.

Both sisters screamed from the shock and moved away from the corpse.

-Girls! –Paige shouted. –Come here! –They rushed to their sister.

-This can't be happening. –Prue said, kneeling. Phoebe just stood there, in shock.

-It's ok. –Piper said. –You're gonna be ok.

-You said no one was gonna die. –Paige sobbed.

-I tried. –Piper said. –I'm sorry. Find my kids for me, and Leo. –Piper said and then closed her yes.

Prue laid her head on Piper's lap and cried, and so did Paige. Phoebe kept standing up, shaking; she took a deep breath and then…

Then she woke up, in the manor's couch. She took a deep breath and sat down, still shaking.

-What-what happened? –She asked looking around. Her sisters, who were lying around the living room, woke up too.

-You woke up! –Coop exclaimed, rushing to his wife. –Are you ok?

-I'm-I'm good. What's going on?

-None of you woke up today. –Andy explained. –We brought you all here, but you just kept sleeping. It's already 10 pm.

-Piper! –Prue shouted and ran to her sister, hugging her. –You're alive!

-So it was really just a nightmare. –Paige sighed, relieved.

-What's going on? –Henry asked.

-We'll tell you everything. –Phoebe said. –We just… -She stopped when she looked at the wall. –Oh my god.

They all turned around and saw something written in blood:

"I'll rise from chaos and confusion. You can't stop me if you can't even stop yourselves."

They all stared, nervous.

…

Meanwhile, in the underworld, the woman was looking at a crystal ball. She watched as the sisters woke up.

-Do you think this will work, Queen of Darkness? –The hoodoo priest asked her.

-It sure will, it sure will. –She said. For the first time, she showed her face. Her eyes were dark, with blue and red spots, she had symbols in her neck and forehead, and her teeth were sharp; her lips, red as blood. Despite the odd combination, she had a strange beauty, something hypnotic. He smiled, foreseeing her success.


End file.
